Gabriel Bortoleto would ‘definitely listen’ to nine-time F1 champions to leave Audi one day

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Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto is quickly becoming one of the most highly rated drivers on the Formula 1 grid.

Gabriel Bortoleto was one of the last drivers to be confirmed for the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Sauber decided to sign last year’s Formula 2 champion from McLaren ahead of the more experienced Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, and initially, it looked like the Brazilian was going to need a long time to get up to speed.

Bortoleto had to wait until the 11th race of the season in Austria to score his first points, but since then, he’s been in brilliant form.

A sixth-place finish in Hungary is the highlight of the 20-year-old’s burgeoning Formula 1 career, and despite being contracted to Audi for next season, he’s starting to turn heads.

Ted Kravitz suggested every top team would be interested in Bortoleto, but right now, he’s not keen on leaving Jonathan Wheatley’s team.

However, F1 Oversteer sources understand that Fernando Alonso is lining Bortoleto up to replace him at Aston Martin when he eventually decides to retire.

On top of this, journalist Tim Hauraney believes there’s another team that Bortoleto would ‘definitely listen’ to if they made an offer in the future.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know

Gabriel Bortoleto would ‘definitely listen’ to McLaren offer to leave Audi one day

Hauraney was discussing on the Nailing the Apex Podcast how Carlos Sainz would be welcome back at Ferrari one day if they needed to re-sign the Spaniard.

He then spoke about how Bortoleto could end up in the same scenario with McLaren after being let go to join McLaren at the end of last year and explained: “I think for Bortoleto, it’s doing similar, right?

“It doesn’t matter where he goes, where he ends up. It’s how he’s perceived there, and then how does he leave from there? Can he come back? Is that coming back to anywhere he leaves from possible?

“And so let’s say Audi may struggle for the next few seasons, but McLaren doesn’t, and McLaren loses one of their key talents.

“Then can Zak come back to Gabriel and say, ‘Look, we want you to come back, sign you as one of our lead drivers, we can fight for a championship. We’ll match whatever they’re paying you.’

“And obviously, Bortoleto is going to look at a competitive car; I can win a championship. We have a good relationship still. Let’s do this. And the same thing for Zak.

“He’s going to think the same thing. And so I think if you’re not burning your bridges, you can always move on, go somewhere else and sort of pick up where you left off.

“So, if one day, maybe it works out where McLaren could be more competitive than Audi, and Zak comes knocking. I’m pretty sure Gabriel will definitely listen.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

What can Gabriel Bortoleto expect from Audi during their maiden Formula 1 season in 2026?

Audi are making their Formula 1 debut next season and will hope their pedigree in other racing series means they fare better than other debutants in the past.

Bortoleto and teammate Nico Hulkenberg have been confirmed for next season, although it’s yet to be seen how long the 38-year-old German will continue for.

Audi have raced in other series in the past that rely on battery technology, which could give them an advantage when it comes to developing Formula 1’s new power units.

Formula 1 initially wanted to prioritise the electrical component of next year’s power unit, only to row back on that decision as teams were worried that would give Audi too great an advantage.

However, Mattia Binotto has warned that Audi’s power unit won’t be ‘the best’ on the grid next year, which could put Bortoleto and Hulkenberg at a significant disadvantage.

The Brazilian will be keeping his options open if Audi are underperforming, and if nine-time champions McLaren need a driver, recruiting the 20-year-old after he spent time in their academy wouldn’t be the worst decision.